The main event of ONE 168: Denver saw Thai superstar “The Kicking Machine” Superlek Kiatmoo9 move up in weight and capture the ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title with a scintillating first-round knockout of Jonathan “The General” Haggerty.

That monumental showdown took place last Friday, September 6 in U.S. primetime in front of a packed house at Denver’s Ball Arena.

Superlek Kiatmoo9 weighs in on his win against Jonathan Haggerty

The flyweight kickboxing kingpin came into the contest on an incredible 10-fight winning streak that included victories over Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon and Takeru “The Natural Born Crusher” Segawa, proving that he is already one of the planet’s top strikers.

His knockout win at ONE 168 elevated him to a two-sport titleholder and a true pound-for-pound powerhouse.

Naturally, Superlek was happy to walk away with a highlight-reel victory, but he was perhaps more proud of the fact that he was able to display his country’s art of Muay Thai in front of an American audience on one of the year’s biggest shows.

“The Kicking Machine” explained, “I just wanted to show that I’m a Thai fighter and that Thai fighters are strong and have amazing skills that can be showcased all over the world.” 

Indeed, the 28-year-old showcased nothing short of “amazing skills,” landing a beautiful elbow strike in the bout’s opening minute that sent Haggerty crashing to the canvas and unable to continue.

“The Kicking Machine” had a gameplan for “The General”

While few doubted Superlek’s ability to defeat the hard-hitting Brit, hardly any fans predicted a quick knockout. That’s because the Thai, as a master technician, tends to gather information in a fight’s early going before finding the knockout later.

But he says he changed his gameplan to deal with Haggerty’s high pace and immense power – and trained that elbow strike specifically:

“I thought that if I fought with a slow, methodical style, there would be no way I could beat him. So I switched to a more aggressive, fast style, and I ended it quickly. 

“The elbow was something I trained for. I know that when you use an elbow, the elbow will get there before the cross, so I was just waiting for the opportunity to hit him with it because I knew Haggerty had a very strong cross.”